Sunstar's Quest
by Sunstar10
Summary: Sunpaw is a golden tom with brilliant green eyes. Great things lie in the path of this WindClan apprentice. His journey takes him to a place he never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams. But every great thing comes with tragedy, as Sunpaw learns as he becomes the warrior Sunblaze. What losses will Sunblaze face before he too joins StarClan?
1. Characters

Note: I will edit this to include any new characters. I apologize that there's very little information about the other Clans, but don't worry. You'll learn more in time.

Characters 

**WindClan**  
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Leader

Falconstar

Deputy

Darkheart

Medicine Cat

Fernfrost

Medicine Cat Apprentice

Leafheart

Elders

Stripefur

Yarrowpelt

Queens

Ravenpelt

Kits

None

Warriors

Dracofire- mentor to Sunpaw

Wishsong- mentor to Moonpaw

Falconstrike

Hawkflight

Sparrowsong- mentor to Rosepaw

Ashpelt- mentor to Lilypaw

Dawnbreeze

Stormwing- mentor to Quickpaw

Eagleclaw

Ferntail

Dewfrost

Cedarpelt

Apprentices

Sunpaw- apprentice to Dracofire

Moonpaw- apprentice to Wishsong

Lilypaw- apprentice to Ashpelt

Quickpaw- apprentice to Stormwing

Rosepaw- apprentice to Sparrowsong

**ShadowClan**

Leader

Pitchstar

Deputy

Snakefang

Medicine Cat

Unknown

Medicine Cat Apprentice

Unknown

Elders

Unknown

Queens

Unknown

Kits

Unknown

Warriors

Shadowpelt- mentor to Nightpaw

Shadestep- mentor to Adderpaw

Snakeheart

**RiverClan**

Leader

Snowstar

Deputy

Rainfang

Medicine Cat

Unknown

Medicine Cat Apprentice

Unknown

Elders

Unknown

Queens

Unknown

Kits

Unknown

Warriors

Unknown

Apprentices

Unknown

**ThunderClan**

Leader

Bravestar

Deputy

Unknown

Medicine Cat

Unknown

Medicine Cat Apprentice

Unknown

Elders

Unknown

Queens

Unknown

Kits

Unknown

Warriors

Unknown

Apprentices

Unknown


	2. Chapter 1

**Sunstar's Quest**

Chapter One

Sunkit padded out of the WindClan nursery. He and his sister, Moonkit, were about to be apprenticed. Falconstar bounded to the top of the Cliff.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Cliff!" Falconstar yowled.

"Come on, Sunkit!" Moonkit meowed excitedly, "I wonder who our mentors will be. I hope I get Dracofire. Or Wishsong. Or maybe Hawkflight or Falconstrike."

The silver she-cat led the green-eyed golden tom to the Cliff. Moonkit's ice blue eyes gleamed excitedly as Falconstar began to speak.

"Sunkit, from this moment on, you will be known as Sunpaw," The brown tabby tom meowed, "Dracofire, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You will be mentor to Sunpaw. You have shown yourself to be a courageous, honorable warrior. Do all that you can to pass on your knowledge to Sunpaw."

Sunpaw nervously padded up to the gold-eyed ginger she-cat. He touched noses.

"Sunpaw! Sunpaw!" The WindClan cats called out.

Falconstar started to speak again.

"Moonkit, from this moment on, you will be known as Moonpaw. Your mentor will be Wishsong. Wishsong, you have proven yourself to be a wise, loyal warrior. Do your best to teach this to Moonpaw."

Moonpaw bounded forwards and touched noses with Wishsong, a tuxedo she-cat with blue eyes.

"Moonpaw! Sunpaw!" WindClan yowled.

As the Clan began to scatter, Dracofire and Wishsong padded up to Sunpaw and Moonpaw.

"We're going to show you the territory," Dracofire began.

"Awesome!" squealed Moonpaw, "Where are we going first?"

"The Gorge," Wishsong said, "But you must be very careful."

"Why?" asked Moonpaw.

"The Gorge is by RiverClan territory," Dracofire explained, "And it is also easy to slip into the river from the sides."

"Let's go!" Moonpaw meowed.

Dracofire led the other three cats out of the camp. Wishsong then took the lead, with Moonpaw padding close behind. Dracofire fell back and began to walk next to Sunpaw.

"Aren't you excited?" She asked, "When I saw the territory for the first time, I almost fell into the Gorge because I was so excited. "

"Something doesn't feel right," Sunpaw meowed back, "It feels like something is going to go wrong."

Dracofire's golden eyes darkened for a moment. "What makes you think that?"

"Nothing. Just a feeling," Sunpaw said hastily.

He didn't want to reveal the strange feelings he sometimes had. Just before the dogs had gotten loose when he was a kit, Sunpaw had known something bad would happen. He knew his sister didn't have these premonitions, because she had been shocked by the dog attack. They had lost their father, Dusktail, to the vicious Twoleg pets.

"Hurry up, Sunpaw!" Moonpaw yowled from up ahead.

Dracofire began to run, and so did Sunpaw. Wishsong and Moonpaw were padding calmly towards the Gorge. Just as Sunpaw and Dracofire caught up, they spotted the Gorge.

"Look!" meowed Moonpaw. "RiverClan!"

A patrol of RiverClan warriors stood on the other side of the Gorge. They were led by a whites she-cat.

"Who's that?" Sunpaw meowed quietly to Dracofire.

"Snowstar," Dracofire whispered back, "Leader of RiverClan."

"Why is she here?" Moonpaw asked.

"I don't know," meowed Wishsong, "But it can't be good."

"WindClan!" Snowstar yowled. "We have come to take the Gorge, as it is rightfully ours! If you do not give it up, we will take it by force!"

"We will never give up our rightful land!" Dracofire hissed back.

"Then fight we shall. If you are all WindClan has to offer, then the Gorge is already ours." Snowstar scoffed.

She and her patrol vanished, but moments later, another patrol leaped out to their side, this one led by a blue-furred tom.

"Rainfang!" Dracofire snarled.

"Who's he?" Sunpaw asked Wishsong.

"RiverClan's deputy."

Rainfang flicked his tail, and his patrol sprang forward.

"Moonpaw!" Dracofire called, dodging a ferocious swipe from Rainfang, "Go back to camp and get help!"

Moonpaw hesitated for a second, then sprinted off towards the rest of WindClan. A RiverClan apprentice launched himself at Sunpaw, slicing at him with claws unsheathed. Sunpaw ducked and barely dodged the first blow. Not knowing what to do, Sunpaw backed away. Dracofire, Rainfang, and another RiverClan warrior were battling, while Wishsong took on another trio of cats. Just as the apprentice's claws raked Sunpaw's ears, a loud yowl filled the air. Four cats were racing towards them, led by Darkheart, the deputy of WindClan! Moonpaw was right on Darkheart's heels, and Dewfrost and Cedarpelt were right behind her. Darkheart slammed into Rainfang, and the deputies fell to the ground and began to battle furiously. Cedarpelt and Dewfrost distracted two of the cats fighting Wishsong, and engaged in battle. Moonpaw raced to Sunpaw's side, and reared up on her back legs, swiping at the RiverClan apprentice, who had been momentarily distracted by the arrival of Darkheart and her patrol. Sunpaw joined her, and began to flail at the cat's muzzle. His claws raked across the apprentice's nose, and blood began to trickle from the gash. As Moonpaw nipped his legs, he began to retreat, before finally turning and pelting away. Dewfrost, Cedarpelt, Wishsong, and Dracofire had driven off the other RiverClan cats, and now the only cats left fighting were Darkheart and Rainfang. Darkheart took a step back. letting Rainfang see his patrol fleeing.

"Go join the rest of your cowardly Clan," She hissed, "And I won't be so merciful next time you set paw on WindClan territory."

Rainfang darted through the gap in the line and was gone moments later.

Darkheart turned and looked at the WindClan cats.

"Come on," She mewed, "We need to get back and see Fernfrost and Leafheart. Especially you, Dracofire."

Dracofire was limping, and her flame-colored pelt was slick with blood. The same was true for Wishsong, but for some reason, Darkheart overlooked her wounds. The patrol hurried back to camp, where they saw Fernfrost and Leafheart waiting with comfrey, cobwebs, and other herbs. Leafheart rushed over to her sister, Wishsong.

"The comfrey," Fernfrost mewed, then she bent her head and began to lick the blood from Wishsong's pelt. Leafheart picked up a wad of comfrey and chewed it.

Dawnbreeze, Sunpaw and Moonpaw's mother, pelted out of the warriors den and began to lick Sunpaw and Moonpaw.

"Dawnbreeze," Fernfrost said between licks, "Get the blood of Dracofire. I need to treat them first, and I can't tell where the wounds are."

Reluctantly, the pale gold she-cat turned and began to clean Dracofire's pelt. Leafheart began to plaster a comfrey poultice on to Wishsong's wounds as Fernfrost covered it with cobwebs. Fernfrost had picked up another wad of comfrey and began to chew it as she worked. Ferntail and Eagleclaw hurried out of the warriors den. They were the parents of Dracofire, and Ferntail took over Dawnbreeze's role. Dawnbreeze promptly turned back to her own kits, and continued her rough licking. Eagleclaw hesitated, unsure of what to do, but as Fernfrost began to put a comfrey poultice on Dracofire's wounds, she turned to him.

"Start getting the blood of the others!" She meowed urgently.

Eagleclaw turned to Dewfrost and began at once.

"Poppy seeds?" Leafheart mewed quietly to Fernfrost, who nodded.

Leafheart dashed into the medicine den, returning with the small black seeds. She placed some in front of the two injured cats, who obediently lapped them up. Dracofire's eyes began to close, and minutes later they were asleep. Fernfrost turned to the other cats, and began to treat them as Leafheart and Ferntail carried Dracofire and Wishsong into the medicine den.

"Are you okay?" meowed Dawnbreeze.

"We're fine," answered Sunpaw, "Where's Falconstar? Doesn't he want to hear about this?"

"I'm sure he will be here soon," Dawnbreeze meowed back.

Sure enough, Falconstar bounded over to them moments later.

"What happened?" He meowed, stopping next to Darkheart.

"RiverClan tried to take the Gorge. Dracofire, Wishsong, and Sunpaw held them off until we got there. Moonpaw found my patrol," Darkheart explained, "We drove them off."

"Why would Snowstar attack now?" Falconstar meowed to himself, "There must be a reason."

Sunpaw got up and padded into the apprentice den, with Moonpaw trailing after him. Three other cats sat in the den. Sunpaw recognized the lean grey tom as Quickpaw, and the silver tabby she-cat as Lilypaw. The third was a ginger she-cat named Rosepaw.

"Tell us everything," meowed Lilypaw.

As Sunpaw curled up in his nest, Moonpaw began to tell the other apprentices. Finally, Sunpaw fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Sunpaw was in a forest. This place was different. There was a rich scent of prey, and he could hear cats padding through it. He turned and saw a black and white tom with an extraordinarily long tail and glittering amber eyes.

"Who are you?" Sunpaw meowed. "Where am I?"

"I am Tallstar," The tom answered, "I was once the leader of WindClan. You are in the forests of StarClan. I came to speak to you."

"Why?"

"Barkface issued a prophecy last moonhigh. I came to tell you it."

"About me?"

Tallstar nodded. "When the sun and the night come together, the four will be destroyed."

"What does it mean?" asked Sunpaw, but the StarClan cat was leaving, "Wait! Come back! I don't understand!"

Sunpaw began to run after Tallstar. The starlit forest darkened to an inky blackness, and Sunpaw could taste water in his mouth. He was drowning! Sunpaw flailed, desperately trying to keep afloat.

"Stop kicking me!" Quickpaw snapped.

Sunpaw opened his eyes to see the grey apprentice curled in the nest beside his. Moonpaw was fast asleep on his other side.

"Sorry," Sunpaw meowed.

"It's fine," Quickpaw stretched and stood up, "I was supposed to go on dawn patrol anyways."

Quickpaw padded out of the den. Sunpaw stretched and hurried after him. He wanted to check on his mentor. Sunpaw entered the medicine den to find Leafheart changing the blood-soaked cobwebs.

"They'll heal soon," Leafheart said, predicting his question, "Until then, Falconstar said that Falconstrike would mentor you, and Hawkflight would mentor Moonpaw."

"Thanks," Sunpaw replied, retreating out of the den.

A brown tom with white patches around his amber eyes padded up to Sunpaw.

"You're Sunpaw, right?" He meowed, "I'm Falconstrike."

"Yeah," Sunpaw answered, "Leafheart just told me you would be my mentor until Dracofire recovers."

"I'm leading a hunting patrol," Falconstrike said, "Get your sister and meet me at the exit."

With that, Falconstrike turned and walked off. Sunpaw ducked into the apprentice den, and gently prodded Moonpaw with his paw. "Wake up."

"What is it?" Moonpaw meowed.

"Hunting patrol," Sunpaw explained, "For now, Hawkflight is mentoring you, and I have Falconstrike."

"Cool!" Moonpaw stood up and stretched before bounding outside.

Sunpaw darted after her, and stopped by Falconstrike. A brown tom with white patches sat beside Falconstrike. It was Hawkflight, Dracofire's brother, and now Moonpaw's mentor. A grey she-cat also was waiting there, with Lilypaw at her side. This cat's name was Ashpelt.

"We're hunting by the ShadowClan border," Falconstrike said, "Make sure to stay on our territory."

He led the patrol of cats to the border. Lilypaw dashed off after a rabbit, with Ashpelt following. Hawkflight began to tell Moonpaw how to hunt as Falconstrike turned to face Sunpaw.

"What do you smell?"

Sunpaw tasted the air. "Rabbit."

"It's over there, behind that bush," Falconstrike told him, "Creep up as quietly as you can, and get as close as you can to it. Then pounce. If you miss, chase it. You will be able to tell whether you can catch up or not. If you can, bring it down."

Sunpaw began to stalk silently towards the bush. Behind it sat a plump white rabbit. Its ears twitched, and it sat up. Smelling something, it took off running. Sunpaw flew after it. He was slowly gaining on it. It was running towards the stream that was the border between WindClan and ShadowClan. Sunpaw didn't notice as he drew closer to the rabbit. Finally, he leaped at it.

The rabbit slipped away, but Sunpaw was left on the muddy banks of the stream. His paws slipped in the wet soil, and he tumbled into the water.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The stream was deep. Sunpaw sank to its depths, engulfed in inky blackness as the water closed around him. Sunpaw flailed frantically with his paws, and his head broke the surface for a moment. He sucked in a breath of fresh air before sinking again. The next time he surfaced, he caught sight of a black she-cat on the bank.

"Help!" he yowled before being sucked under again.

Sunpaw paddled furiously, breaching the surface of the water. He saw the she-cat carefully leap to the edge of the stream, digging her claws in to stay balanced as she stretched her neck towards him. She caught hold of Sunpaw's scruff and dragged him to the bank.

"Thanks," Sunpaw coughed, "Who are you? I haven't seen you before."

"Nightpaw. We share a den. How could you not-" the she-cat broke off, "You're WindClan."

"Yeah. Aren't-" Just then, Sunpaw realized where he was.

He was lying on the ShadowClan side of the stream. Nightpaw had to be a ShadowClan apprentice.

"You have to leave," meowed Nightpaw, "Shadowpelt will be here any minute now."

"Right," Sunpaw answered, "But how do I get across?"

"There's a shallow part by those rocks over there," Nightpaw flicked her tail at a cluster of stones, "Go now!"

Sunpaw hurried towards the rocks. He began to wade through the water. He hopped out, and glanced over his shoulder to see Nightpaw watching him. Sunpaw ducked into a patch of tall grass as a black tom with bright green eyes appeared out of the pine trees.

"Did you catch the frog?" the tom meowed.

"No, Shadowpelt," Nightpaw said back, ducking her head, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't feed the Clan!" Shadowpelt snapped, "You can come back to camp once you catch something."

With that, the black tom turned and left. Nightpaw padded back into the trees with her tail drooping. Just as she vanished, Sunpaw heard a voice behind him.

"Did you catch the rabbit?" Falconstrike meowed.

"No," Sunpaw stepped out of the grass.

"What happened to you?" Falconstrike exclaimed.

"What?" Sunpaw said, baffled.

"You're soaked!"

"Oh. I fell in the stream," Sunpaw's pelt prickled with embarrassment.

"Come on," Falconstrike flicked his tail, "We need to head back to camp."

"But I didn't catch anything!"

"That doesn't matter," Falconstrike reassured him, "It's still leaf-fall, and no apprentice catches prey on their first try. You'll have your chance."

Falconstrike led Sunpaw back to the other cats, who were waiting. A thrush lay at Lilypaw's side, and Ashpelt had caught a rabbit. A fat squirrel lay at Hawkflight's paws, and Falconstrike unearthed a juicy rabbit. Moonpaw was also empty-pawed, like Sunpaw.

"Back to camp," Falconstrike meowed.

As he turned and began to stride towards the camp, the other cats fell into line behind him. Sunpaw found himself walking beside Lilypaw.

"You're lucky," She mewed enviously, "I've been an apprentice for a moon, and I still haven't seen a battle."

"Trust me," Sunpaw meowed back, "You don't want to."

Sunpaw chatted with Lilypaw as they headed back to the WindClan camp. She dropped her thrush on the fresh-kill pile, along with the other cats' prey.

She picked out a rabbit. "Do you and Moonpaw want to come share this with me?"

"Sure," Sunpaw said gratefully, "Come on, Moonpaw!"

His silver sister hurried over. "What?"

"We're sharing this rabbit with Lilypaw."

Moonpaw nodded, and the three apprentices crouched around the rabbit, eating the juicy fresh-kill. Meanwhile, Nightpaw was lying on the bank of the river, thinking of the golden apprentice she had met. He was unlike all the stories Shadowpelt had told her of WindClan's cruelty and violence.

"He's not your friend," She meowed sternly to herself, "He's WindClan."

She picked up her thrush and headed for the ShadowClan camp.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

A moon had passed. Dracofire and Wishsong had recovered, and Sunpaw and Moonpaw were back under their mentoring. They had learned how to hunt and fight well. Moonpaw, Rosepaw, and Lilypaw had grown extremely close, and Sunpaw was good friends with Quickpaw. That night, there was going to be a Gathering. Falconstar had not yet told the Clan who was going, but Sunpaw desperately hoped he and Moonpaw would be chosen.

_"Maybe I'll see Nightpaw again,"_ Sunpaw thought, and then immediately felt guilty, _"No! She's not my friend. She's ShadowClan."_

He drove the black-furred she-cat from his mind. Falconstar had bounded up the Cliff.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Cliff!" He yowled.

Immediately, all of WindClan approached the Cliff. This included the elders, queens and kits, although they were not summoned by Falconstar's call.

"I have chosen the cats that will accompany me to the Gathering," Falconstar announced, "Darkheart, Fernfrost, Leafheart, Ashpelt, Lilypaw, Dracofire and Sunpaw."

As the cats dispersed, talking to one another, Sunpaw picked out a familiar meow.

"Why does Sunpaw get to go and I don't?" Moonpaw said indignantly to Wishsong.

"It's Falconstar's decision. You're not the only one. Leafheart's my sister. She's going and I'm not. Falconstar isn't even bringing his own brother, Eagleclaw," Wishsong meowed back.

Moonpaw stalked angrily into the apprentice den. Quickpaw appeared alongside Sunpaw.

"Angry because she's not going?" The grey tom asked.

Sunpaw nodded.

"She'll get over it," Quickpaw said, "See you later."

Quickpaw vanished into the apprentice den. Rosepaw followed him. Sunpaw padded over to Dracofire, who was waiting by the entrance. As the sun set, Falconstar led the seven other cats out of camp.

"You can talk to other Clans," Dracofire said to Sunpaw, "But don't get too friendly."

Sunpaw nodded. "Who are the other leaders?"

"Well, you know Snowstar," A growl crept into Dracofire's voice, but she swiftly silenced it, "Then there's Pitchstar from ShadowClan. He's a big black tom, amber eyes. ThunderClan's leader is Bravestar, a tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes."

Sunpaw nodded again, at a loss for words. Fortunately, he didn't need to say anything else, for they had arrived at Fourtrees. Scents mingled here, a mix of RiverClan, ShadowClan and ThunderClan. He recognized the three leaders on the Great Rock. Falconstar dipped his head in greeting, then bounded up the Great Rock easily. Snowstar spotted Dracofire, and her eyes glinted with malice. Fernfrost and Leafheart joined the other medicine cats, while Darkheart took her place among the other deputies. Dracofire vanished into the crowd of cats. Sunpaw padded into a clear spot, and sat down. He glanced at the cats around him and was shocked to see Nightpaw.

"Nightpaw?" He said, "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you!" She spat, "Why do you care? How do you even know my name? Leave me alone, you mangy flea-pelt!"

Sunpaw stared at her, baffled, and then spotted her mentor, Shadowpelt on her other side. She was faking it so Shadowpelt wouldn't realize what had happened. The black tom glanced approvingly at his apprentice.

"Shadowpelt!" A voice called, "Come over here!"

Shadowpelt glanced again at Nightpaw and Sunpaw before standing up and heading towards another group of ShadowClan cats.

"Did you tell anyone?" Nightpaw meowed to him as soon as Shadowpelt was out of earshot.

"Of course not," Sunpaw answered, "Sorry about what happened with Shadowpelt."

"Don't worry about it. He's always like that. No one can find out what happened, though. Swear you won't tell anyone. By StarClan."

"Of course I wouldn't tell any-" Sunpaw began indignantly.

"Swear it," Nightpaw fixed him with her piercing gaze.

"Fine. I swear it. Happy now?"

"Not really," Nightpaw meowed, "Shadowpelt's coming back."

As Shadowpelt came in earshot, Nightpaw raised her voice. "Get out of here!"

Sunpaw played along, and slunk away to a group of WindClan cats. Before Lilypaw could ask any questions, Bravestar's yowl pierced the air.

"Let the Gathering begin! I will start," She said.

"Prey is running well in ThunderClan territory. We have gotten two new apprentices, Yewpaw and Oakpaw."

The gathered Clans yowled the new apprentices' names.

"Snowstar," Bravestar stepped back.

The white she-cat took her place at the edge of the Great Rock.

"RiverClan's prey is running well. We shall take back the Gorge by force if you don't hand it over, Falconstar. We don't want a fight," Snowstar said, "You may speak now."

Falconstar stepped forward. "WindClan will not surrender our rightful territory to RiverClan. Our prey runs well, and we are strong. We would not suffer greatly from a battle. But I see that many of your cats look thin. Are you perhaps lying about how well your prey runs?"

"How dare you suggest that I lie!" snarled Snowstar, unsheathing her claws and bristling.

"This is a Gathering!" Bravestar interjected, "Sheathe your claws."

Snowstar's claws retracted, and she sat down and began to lick her fur down.

"You may speak now, Pitchstar," said Falconstar.

"At last," Pitchstar said dramatically, "My chance to reveal WindClan's treachery! My warriors have scented WindClan on our territory. Can you explain this, Falconstar?"

"I have not sent a single cat on to ShadowClan territory," Falconstar said, "Would you mind saying which of your warriors scented my Clan?"

"Two have scented a WindClan cat. They are both here today, as I anticipated your question. Their names are Shadowpelt and Nightpaw," Pitchstar said arrogantly, "So, if you did not send your cats, why were they there?"

"Allow me to speak to the cats in question," Falconstar said calmly, "Would you come forward, Shadowpelt, Nightpaw?"

Sunpaw saw the two black cats stand up and weave their way through the crowd of cats to the front.

"Tell me, where did you scent my Clan?" Falconstar said.

"By the stream that borders our territory," Shadowpelt said immediately.

"Of course they were there," meowed Falconstar, "I send patrols over there every day. Is it possible that what you smelled was merely the scent of my hunting patrol blown across the stream? After all, it is always windy on WindClan territory."

"Maybe," Nightpaw meowed uncertainly, shooting a worried look at her mentor.

Shadowpelt glared at his apprentice.

"Let us ask the other leaders what they think happened," Falconstar said, "We all already know where Pitchstar and I stand on this matter. What do you think, Snowstar?"

"Well, you made a fair point, Falconstar," The white she-cat said, "But I trust the word of ShadowClan more than WindClan. I believe what Pitchstar says."

Falconstar nodded and turned to Bravestar. "How about you?"

"ShadowClan has never been kind to WindClan. I was visited by Firestar himself in my dreams last moonhigh. He reminded me of when he had gone to bring WindClan back to the territories," Bravestar said, "I believe Falconstar."

"We stand at an impasse, I see," said Pitchstar smoothly, "Think about your decision, Bravestar. I won't forget this."

"We can speak of it again at the next Gathering, if you wish," Bravestar met Pitchstar's gaze without flinching, although she was half his size.

"The moon is sinking," Bravestar continued, "The Gathering is over."

With that, the four leaders bounded down from the Great Rock, and the Clans separated once again. Sunpaw caught one last glimpse of Nightpaw. Shadowpelt was meowing something to her, anger glittering in his eyes. Moments later, the WindClan cats were running across open fields, Silverpelt gleaming above them.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sunpaw felt at home, sprinting across the open moors with the wind in his fur and Silverpelt shining above him. He never felt the quite same when he was in the warm shelter of the apprentice den. As his paws flew across the earth, he thought back to what happened at the Gathering.

Nightpaw hated the pine forest ShadowClan called home. She wished that she could go to the openness of WindClan territory. Nightpaw spent many a free day lying on the ShadowClan bank of the river, imagining that she was free on the WindClan moors. She longed for the juicy rabbits that WindClan fed on. No matter how much she tried, ShadowClan would never accept her. After all, she was half-Clan. Her father was Snakeheart of ShadowClan, her mother Ashpelt of WindClan. WindClan didn't know of the grey she-cat's betrayal, and Nightpaw knew that Pitchstar would use it against Falconstar when he needed to. Pitchstar was even more ruthless than Snowstar. Pitchstar was cruel and brutal, while Snowstar was more tactical and would only fight when another Clan had something she wanted. What the RiverClan leader wanted with the Gorge, Nightpaw had no idea.

Shadowpelt hated Nightpaw because of her WindClan blood. Pitchstar had known this, and deliberately chosen him as her mentor.

"I wish I was in WindClan," Nightpaw said to herself so quietly no other cat could hear.

She curled up in her nest and imagined she was in the WindClan apprentice den with Sunpaw.

Sunpaw padded into the apprentice den.

"Are you okay?" Lilypaw asked him quietly, "You seem upset."

"Just tired," Sunpaw answered.

In truth, he had been thinking about Nightpaw. He wondered what she was doing. Lilypaw looked at him, her silvery eyes gleaming in the starlight.

"Good night," She said, and curled up in her nest.

Sunpaw nodded in response, and began to settle into his nest. One of the other apprentices had changed the bedding. It was soft moss, with a lining of thrush feathers. He dozed off.

Once again, he was in a starlit forest. Tallstar stood before him.

"Good," Sunpaw said, "Now you can explain that prophecy. What was it again?"

"When the sun and the night come together, the four will be destroyed," Tallstar repeated, "But that is not why I came. I came to give you another prophecy."

"What is it?"

"The sun's glow will be shrouded in shadows. Pitch blackness will send a falcon to destroy the sun and-" Tallstar said, "The prophecy is incomplete. Barkface was interrupted before he could finish it."

With no further explanation, the StarClan warrior vanished. Sunpaw awoke with a start. He was back in the apprentice den of WindClan. A single hole had appeared in the brambles sheltering him. Through it, Sunpaw could see one star shining.

_"Is that Tallstar?"_ Sunpaw wondered, _"Did he do that so I would know it wasn't just a crazy dream?_

The sun began to rise, a pinkish glow burning on the horizon. Sunpaw padded outside to watch. The pinkish glow deepened to a fiery red, then a brighter gold as the sun crossed the horizon. Moonpaw came outside as well.

"What happened at the Gathering last night?" She asked.

"It's a long story," Sunpaw meowed back.

"I don't mind. Tell me."

Sunpaw began to recount the events of the Gathering, leaving out Nightpaw completely. He didn't want to accidentally let slip their secret. If Falconstar found out that he had gone on ShadowClan territory without permission, Sunpaw would be severely punished. Moonpaw sat and listened silently to his tale. Just then, Lilypaw left the apprentice den.

"You're telling her about the Gathering?" She asked, "It's a good thing that ShadowClan apprentice actually listened to Falconstar."

"What apprentice?" asked Moonpaw.

"Some random ShadowClan cat," Sunpaw explained hastily, "I forgot about her. What was her name again? Darkpaw or something?"

"Nightpaw, I think," Lilypaw said, giving him a suspicious look. "Shadowpelt's apprentice."

Fortunately, Lilypaw didn't continue on the matter, instead she changed the topic.

"Did you hear about Ravenpelt?" She asked.

"No," Sunpaw said, "What about her?"

"She's having kits!"

"Who's the father?" Moonpaw asked.

"Stormwing," Lilypaw said excitedly, "He's been asking Fernfrost what to do since sunhigh yesterday. You'd think no cat had ever kitted before!"

The grey tom chose that moment to hurry past on his way to the fresh-kill pile. His golden eyes glowed with pride. He picked up a rabbit and carried it back to the nursery to share it with his mate. Sunpaw watched him go past, and then saw Dracofire and Wishsong emerge out of the warrior den.

"Dawn patrol," Dracofire meowed to Moonpaw and Sunpaw, "I'm leading it. Darkheart just told us. We're patrolling the ShadowClan border."

Dracofire led the three other cats out of camp, and to the stream that bordered ShadowClan. A ShadowClan patrol was across the stream. It was led by Shadowpelt. Nightpaw, and two other cats Sunpaw didn't recognize followed. The smaller of the two other cats, an apprentice from the looks of him, snarled at Dracofire.

"Stay off our territory, you mangy furball!" The brown tabby tom spat.

"Silence, Adderpaw!" snapped the other cat, a dark grey she-cat, "They haven't tried anything. Yet."

"We don't plan to, Shadestep," Dracofire mewed evenly, "WindClan wants none of your territory."

"That's what they all say," Shadestep replied.

Adderpaw hissed. "We won't run away from a fight. Running is the best thing WindClan does, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Moonpaw stepped to the edge of the stream, "And ShadowClan's best at cowering and hiding in the darkness."

Adderpaw snarled and was about to fling himself across the stream, but Shadowpelt stopped him with a signal of his tail. "Wait. I want to hear what this apprentice has to say."

Dracofire pushed Moonpaw back, glaring down Shadowpelt. "She doesn't need anything to do with you."

"You wouldn't say the same if you knew what I did," Shadowpelt said.

Adderpaw stepped forward and hissed something in Shadowpelt's ear.

"Indeed, that would be wise," Shadowpelt said.

He flicked his tail, and the four cats leaped over the stream and attacked.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Shadowpelt leaped at Dracofire, as Shadestep attacked Wishsong. Moonpaw fought Adderpaw, and Sunpaw was left facing Nightpaw. She sprang forward, slashing at him with her claws unsheathed. Sunpaw ducked, dodging her blow, but didn't counter.

"Nightpaw!" He said, leaping over another swipe, "I thought we were friends!"

"No!" She yowled back, "I'm ShadowClan. You're WindClan. We're at war!"

She swiped again, slashing Sunpaw's ear. Sunpaw began to fight back, driving Nightpaw back a few paces with a ferocious slash of his claws. She was at the edge of the stream. Sunpaw barreled forward, slamming into Nightpaw's flank. The two apprentices slipped over the edge, and tumbled into the inky depths.

_"Not again!"_ Sunpaw thought.

He had meant to push Nightpaw in, not fall in along with her. He paddled frantically, and his head broke the surface. Sunpaw saw Nightpaw swimming strongly towards the bank. He flailed in the water, and only succeeded in sinking back under. As he reached the surface again, Sunpaw saw Shadestep leaping over the narrowest part of the stream, and fleeing into the pine forest. Wishsong attacked Shadowpelt, and he was forced to retreat under the attack of the two fearsome warriors. Adderpaw saw the rest of his patrol defeated, and fled after his Clanmates. Nightpaw sprang out of the water, dripping. Hissing, she faced the three WindClan cats.

"Leave here now," commanded Dracofire.

Sunpaw missed the rest of what she said as he sank under the water again. He resurfaced near the bank to see Nightpaw leap across and vanish into the ShadowClan forest. Dracofire's teeth met in Sunpaw's scruff, and she dragged him out of the water.

"Falconstrike told me about last time," She meowed, "You really need to stop falling in. At least you managed to get out on your own last time."

Sunpaw didn't argue, although Dracofire wasn't right. There was no way he was going to betray Nightpaw, even now.

The patrol returned to camp, where Fernfrost and Leafheart treated their wounds.

"Honestly," Fernfrost meowed, "You ought to stop falling in the water. Haven't you learned?"

"Yes," mewed Sunpaw irritably, "I was kind of busy fighting to pay attention to the mud."

Fernfrost rolled her eyes and began to plaster herbs on Sunpaw's ear. Sunpaw replayed the fight in his mind.

_"How did Nightpaw change so suddenly?"_ He wondered, _"I thought we were friends. When did she start hating me?"_

Fernfrost stood up. "You're done. Go get some fresh-kill."

She turned and began to treat Moonpaw's scratched nose. Sunpaw padded out of the den, and picked a thrush from the fresh-kill pile.

"Hey, Lilypaw!" He called to the silver apprentice who was coming out of their den. "Want to share this with me?"

Lilypaw nodded gratefully and bounded over. "I was just about to ask you that."

"What happened, anyways?" Lilypaw meowed, noticing his ear, which was wrapped in cobwebs.

"Fight with ShadowClan," Sunpaw said, "Ask Moonpaw about it. I was underwater half the time."

"You fell in the stream again?" Lilypaw meowed, laughing.

"Yeah," Sunpaw said, feeling better as he talked to Lilypaw, "Guess I should pay more attention to the mud when I'm fighting."

Lilypaw was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you tell Moonpaw about Nightpaw?"

"I told you already," Sunpaw said, immediately uncomfortable, "I forgot."

"I know you were lying," Lilypaw pressed, "Really, why didn't you tell her?"

"I don't know," Sunpaw sighed, "I just-"

"Sunpaw!" Quickpaw called out, saving Sunpaw from coming up with a more convincing lie, "What happened?"

Sunpaw recounted what he knew of the battle, having to restart once when Rosepaw arrived. By the time he had finished, Lilypaw had left for a hunting patrol. Sunpaw was relieved that she wouldn't be questioning him for a while. He would have time to come up with a good cover story. Sunpaw padded into the apprentice den.

"I'll wake you if anyone needs you," Quickpaw offered.

"Thanks, Quickpaw," Sunpaw meowed back.

He curled up in his nest and fell asleep. His sleep was dreamless, which disappointed Sunpaw when he awoke. Even the vague prophecies Tallstar told him were better than nothing. Sunpaw desperately wished that someone, anyone, could tell him what he should do. Even just telling someone about the secret he shared with Nightpaw would lighten his burden immensely. Sunpaw thought of telling Moonpaw, but he dismissed the idea almost at once.

_"I promised Nightpaw," _Sunpaw thought, _"I swore it on StarClan. If only Tallstar would tell me what to do. Why can't Dusktail come guide me?"_

Sunpaw sighed.

"Hunting patrol, Sunpaw!" Dracofire called.

Sunpaw followed Dracofire out of camp. This time, he caught a fat rabbit. He was proud of his catch, until he was Quickpaw dragging a pheasant back to them. His pelt burned with jealousy. For the rest of the day, everyone was congratulating Quickpaw on the pheasant. Sunpaw was overlooked, as he always was when Quickpaw was around. Whenever Sunpaw did something well, Quickpaw would do it even better. Sunpaw burned with anger. He tried to quench his anger by reminding himself that he would soon be a warrior. Sadly, sometimes it didn't work. Sunpaw put up with it, and worked as hard as he could. Finally, one day he got his reward.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Three moons had passed. Quickpaw, Rosepaw, and Lilypaw had become warriors. Their new names were Quickclaw, Rosetail, and Lilypool respectively. Dewfrost was in the nursery now, as she was about to have kits. Her mate was Cedarpelt. Ravenpelt had kitted. There was one she-cat and one tom. Their names were Echokit and Copperkit respectively. Copperkit was slightly older, with coppery colored fur and bright amber eyes. Echokit was almost identical to him.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Cliff!" Falconstar yowled.

WindClan immediately took their places around the Cliff. The call didn't mean much, as kits, queens, and elders also clustered around the Cliff.

"Moonpaw," Falconstar began.

Moonpaw stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with pride.

"I, Falconstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Moonpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Falconstar declared.

"I do!" Moonpaw cried happily.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Moonpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Moonheart. StarClan honors your kindness and loyalty, and we welcome as a full warrior of our Clan."

Falconstar laid his chin on Moonheart's head as the Clan chanted Moonheart's new name.

"Finally, Sunpaw," Falconstar said when the chant died down.

"I, Falconstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Sunpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Falconstar asked.

"I do," Sunpaw meowed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sunpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Sunblaze. StarClan honors your strength and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of our Clan."

As Falconstar laid his head on Sunblaze's, Sunblaze licked his shoulder respectfully.

"Sunblaze! Sunblaze!" WindClan yowled.

A day later, it was time for the Gathering. Falconstar was on top of the Cliff, about to announce the cats who were going.

"Darkheart, Fernfrost, Leafheart, Lilypool, Cedarpelt, Ashpelt, Sunblaze, and Moonheart!" he called.

The eight cats separated from the rest of WindClan, and Falconstar lead them out of the camp. The moors were dark and cold. It was nearing the end of leaf-fall, and leaf-bare was only days away. Prey was already scarce, as the rabbits tended to vanish down their holes in such cold weather. Soon, the WindClan cats were at Fourtrees. The other Clans had already arrived. Pitchstar and Snowstar nodded curtly to the WindClan leader in greeting, while Bravestar greeted him with a meow.

"Would you like to begin, Bravestar?" asked Falconstar.

Sunblaze wove his way through the crowd of cats, sitting down next to a black she-cat from ShadowClan.

"Sunpaw?" the she-cat meowed incredulously.

"Nightpaw?" Sunblaze suddenly recognized her, "And it's Sun_blaze_ now."

"Nightheart," the ShadowClan cat corrected, "Congratulations on becoming a warrior."

"You too," Sunblaze replied.

The two cats sat silently for a moment. Sunblaze finally gathered his courage and spoke.

"I missed you," he meowed quietly.

Nightheart was stunned, and silent for another moment, "I missed you too."

Sunblaze and Nightheart sat awkwardly for a moment.

"Prey is running well in ThunderClan," Bravestar finished, "Snowstar?"

"We welcomed a new apprentice. Her name is Icepaw," Snowstar began.

Cats yowled the apprentice's name. Sunblaze glimpsed a slim blue she-cat, sitting proudly by the Great Rock. Her mentor, a pure silver she-cat, sat beside her, eyes gleaming with pride for her new apprentice.

"Prey is swimming well," Snowstar continued, "A minor disturbance from Twolegs, but nothing major. Falconstar?"

The brown tabby tom stepped forward.

"Prey runs well with WindClan," he said, "We have two new warriors, Moonheart and Sunblaze."

"Moonheart! Sunblaze!" Cats yowled.

"Another attack by ShadowClan," Falconstar glared at Pitchstar, "No casualties for WindClan. Pitchstar?"

"Prey runs well," the black tom meowed, "No casualties for ShadowClan in that battle. Two new warriors, Nightheart and Adderfang."

"Shall we conclude the Gathering?" asked Bravestar.

"No," Snowstar said, "Pitchstar told me has more news."

"Indeed. One of our cats, Nightheart, is half-Clan," Pitchstar yowled, "Her father is Snakeheart of ShadowClan, and as he admitted it at once, I forgave his crime."

"Who is her mother?" asked Bravestar.

"Ashpelt of WindClan!" yowled Pitchstar.

Falconstar's face bore an expression of shock. Cats turned, staring at Ashpelt, who raced up to the Great Rock. She climbed it easily. Snakeheart, a grey tom, raced after her, stopping before the Great Rock.

"Ashpelt!" he yowled, "Get off the Great Rock!"

"No," Ashpelt meowed, "I have had enough of secrets and lies."

The she-cat turned to the cats gathered below the Great Rock.

"Get off," hissed Falconstar, "This is not your place."

"Cats of all Clans!" Ashpelt yowled, "Why do we punish those who mate with cats from other Clans? Why should we be unable to follow our hearts? I had to lie, pretending that Oaktail, a cat who died only days before, was the father of my kits! When the same dogs that killed Dusktail killed one of my kits, I decided to move Nightkit to ShadowClan!"

"I had a sibling," Nightheart's mouth was open in shock.

"I pretended that Nightkit had been taken by a dog!" Ashpelt continued, "Snakeheart took Nightkit to ShadowClan, and then betrayed me to Pitchstar! I loved him, and I love him still! If we were not breaking the code by loving one another, our kits would not have suffered as they did!"

"What is your point?" hissed Falconstar, "That we should destroy the code?"

"I say that we should change the code! We should be able to mate with cats of other Clans!" Ashpelt yowled.

Sunblaze glanced at Nightheart, then looked away quickly.

"Never!" spat Falconstar, "The code has been perfected by the leaders since the time the Clans were created! We shall not change it now!"

The other leaders agreed at once.

"You have disgraced yourself, Ashpelt," Falconstar meowed coldly, "You are no longer part of WindClan. You have until sunhigh to leave my territory."

"Snakeheart, do you agree with Ashpelt?" Pitchstar hissed, "Answer honestly."

Snakeheart ducked his head, "Yes, I do."

"Then join her in exile!" spat Pitchstar, "Never set paw on ShadowClan territory again!"

"Leave now," Snowstar said calmly.

Ashpelt leaped off the Great Rock, landing neatly. She and Snakeheart ran out of Fourtrees, the ShadowClan tom casting one last wistful look over his shoulder at the Gathering, at the life he had abandoned for love.


	9. Chapter 8

Note: This is a short chapter. I'll try to make up for it in the next one.

Chapter 8

Soon, the Gathering was over. Sunblaze rejoined the group of WindClan cats as Falconstar leaped off the Great Rock, landing gracefully.

"I can't believe it," Moonheart meowed, "Ashpelt, of all cats!"

"She always seemed to hate ShadowClan," meowed Leafheart.

"Just good acting," Darkheart growled, "How dare she bring such dishonor to our Clan."

Falconstar padded over. He led the cats back towards the moors. He broke into the run, and the other WindClan cats took off after him, Darkheart at his side. Sunblaze stayed at the back of the group. Lilypool slowed until she was next to Sunblaze.

"Who was that cat you were talking to?" Lilypool asked abruptly.

Sunblaze stumbled and almost fell. "What?"

"The ShadowClan she-cat," Lilypool repeated, "Who was she?"

"Her name's Nightheart. She's the half-clan one. Half WindClan, half ShadowClan," Sunblaze trailed off, glancing at the dark pine forest far across WindClan territory.

He could make out dark shapes weaving through the trees. He didn't recognize Nightheart among them.

"A friend?" pressed Lilypool.

"I guess," Sunblaze said, "Not really, though. She's ShadowClan."

Lilypool's brilliant green eyes gleamed. "Just a friend?"

"Not even!" Sunblaze snapped, "Nightheart is ShadowClan!"

Something like relief shone in Lilypool's eyes. She nodded, springing forward to catch up with Moonheart. Sunblaze watched the silver she-cat hurry away.

_"Why does she care so much?__"_ Sunblaze wondered, _"How did she know about Nightheart?"_

Meanwhile, Nightheart was bounding through the pine forest of ShadowClan territory. Snakefang, ShadowClan deputy, slowed and let her catch up. He was a dark brown tom with bright amber eyes.

"It must have been a shock for you," he meowed, "Hearing about Dark-kit."

"Dark-kit?" Nightheart meowed, baffled.

"Your sister's name. She looked a lot like you, with the black fur," Snakefang clarified, "When Snakeheart came clean, I was there. He told us about Dark-kit and how the dogs got her. Dusktail sacrificed himself for you and your sister. He went back for Dark-kit and died protecting her. Too bad Dark-kit couldn't get away before the dogs got her."

"My sister," Nightheart said, dumbfounded, "I had a sister."

Snakefang stopped suddenly, and Nightheart did too.

"I think you still do," he meowed quietly, "Darkheart, deputy of WindClan. She doesn't know about it. The story is that Eaglestar, the leader before Falconstar, found her in the territory. She was still a tiny kit. He took her back and gave her to Ashpelt to care for, since she was still supposedly grieving for her kits. Ashpelt raised Darkheart, naming her after her lost daughter. She never realized that it was her daughter. Darkheart rose to deputy under Falconstar, and still knows nothing of her heritage to this day."

"Don't lie to me," Nightheart snapped, "Darkheart isn't half ShadowClan. She hates our Clan more than any other. She hates everything about us."

"I am not lying," Snakefang raced off to catch up to the rest of the ShadowClan cats.

Nightheart dashed after him.


	10. Chapter 9

AN: Sorry that I haven't posted in ages. I've been busy with marching band. I will try to post more often, hopefully once a week.

Chapter Nine

Nightheart was thankful for her WindClan blood as she tore after Snakefang. She quickly caught up with him, paws flying over the ground.

"How could Darkheart be my sister?" She meowed. "She's deputy of WindClan, and I was only made a warrior recently."

"Falconstar made her an apprentice soon after her arrival in the Clan, and she rose to the rank of a warrior early, for fighting in a major battle." Snakefang answered. "Darkheart was a brilliant warrior from the very beginning. Must have been from her ShadowClan blood."

"What about Pitchstar? He must know about this too." Nightheart questioned.

"You can't tell him you know any of this." Snakefang cast a worried look around. "And if he does find out, you didn't hear it from me. Pitchstar is planning to take over as leader of all four of the Clans."

"He could never pull that off." Nightheart said scornfully. "Tigerstar failed at that, and Pitchstar was never even close to as strong a warrior as he was."

"There's no Firestar to stop Pitchstar." Snakefang said. "And this time, it's three against one."

"What do you mean?"

Snakefang shook his head. They had caught up with the rest of the ShadowClan cats who had gone to the Gathering. He slowed his pace slightly, running alongside Pitchstar. Nightheart fell back in disappointment, staying a fox-length behind the rest of the cats.

Sunblaze slipped into the warriors' den, careful not to wake any of the other cats. He curled in his nest, falling asleep at once. As soon as he had closed his eyes, he had opened them again to see a forest. Tallstar once again stood before him.

"Sunblaze." The StarClan tom's voice was grim. "This situation is far worse than we had thought."

"Why? What's going on?"

A different meow answered this time. "There is going to be war. As bad as the one I myself fought against Tigerstar and Scourge."

A orange tom padded out of the woods to stand by Tallstar's side.

"Firestar." Sunblaze breathed in awe.

"Yes." The legendary leader of ThunderClan nodded. "But that doesn't matter right now. Tallstar, tell Sunblaze the rest of Barkface's prophecy."

"When the sun and the night come together, the four will be destroyed. Pitch blackness will send a falcon to slay the sun and snow will cover the forest. The darkness shall rise, and the night will fall. Four once again becomes two, but one alone must save the Clans." Tallstar recited.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that there is going to be death and pain and blood in your future, Sunblaze." Firestar said. "Be ready for it. Remember, you must face this alone."

"Wait!" Sunblaze meowed even as the cats began to fade. "I don't understand! What do I have to do? Tell me what to do!"

But it was too late. Sunblaze woke in his nest. Only the faint scent of the two StarClan cats remained. Lilypool was looking at him curiously.

"What were you dreaming about?" She asked. "You said Firestar's name. Did you see StarClan?"

"No." Sunblaze said, thinking of Firestar's parting words. "Just a weird dream. Firestar was teaching me how to hunt. Definitely not a visit from StarClan."

Lilypool nodded, although she obviously didn't believe his lie. "If you need to take care of these 'weird dreams,' you should go talk to Fernfrost. She's a medicine cat, so she would know all about whatever this is, whether it's StarClan or not."

"Thanks. Maybe I will." Sunblaze said, although he knew he would only turn to Fernfrost if things truly were desperate. "I'm going to go out hunting."

"I'll go with you." Lilypool meowed at once. "You never know when ShadowClan or RiverClan might attack."

"Er..." Sunblaze hesitated. All he wanted was to be alone to think about whatever that prophecy might mean, but he couldn't think of a way to refuse Lilypool's offer without hurting her feelings. "Sure."

"Never mind." Lilypool's tone turned cold. "I can see you want to be alone. Or with that Nightheart, whichever it may be."

"Nightheart? I'm not with Nightheart. She's ShadowClan, for StarClan's sake!" Sunblaze meowed vehemently.

"Please." Lilypool rolled her eyes. "You can be honest with me, Sunblaze. I'd never betray you, but I am going to say this. It doesn't matter that Nightheart is half WindClan, she's still one of _them_. Do you really think Falconstar would hesitate to exile you if he knew? You're making a mistake, Sunblaze, and soon, someone's going to catch you, and then there won't be anything I can do to help you. I'm not blind, Sunblaze. I can see that you'll never care about me the way I care about you. The way you care about Nightheart."

"I don't-"

"Stop lying already!" Lilypool snarled, before lowering her voice once more. "You can trust me, Sunblaze. I won't tell anyone, because if I did, I'd lose you. Not that I have you in the first place. In a way, I've already lost you to that Nightheart. Just... Just be careful about it, okay? I'll cover for you as much as I can, but there will come a point where I can't do anything more. Make sure that it's a long time away. Sunblaze, more than anything else, I just want you to be happy, and I understand that you wouldn't be happy with me."

"Lilypool, I didn't- I never knew." Sunblaze meowed weakly, dazed at this sudden proclamation. "I guess I lo-"

"No! Don't you dare say that! This is hard enough already, and I don't need those words from you to make it all worse!" Lilypool's furious hiss turned into a sob. "As much as I want to hear that, I know you'd be lying. Don't make this any harder on me than it already is, Sunblaze. Please, just go. Go be with Nightheart. I know it's what you want."

_"Go!"_ A tiny voice in Sunblaze's head whispered. _"This is my only chance. I can have Nightheart, Lilypool will make sure no one knows. This is what I've wanted since she pulled me out of that stream, and I've always known that, deep down. Besides, she's half WindClan. How bad a crime can it be?"_

_"No, I can't."_ Sunstar's conscience replied. _"I can't ask that much of Lilypool. It's not fair to her."_

_"Who cares?"_ The other voice retorted. _"She said herself, she only cares that I'm happy."_

"Thank you, I guess." Sunblaze heard himself meow. "I'm-I'm sorry."

With those word, he padded out of the den, leaving a broken hearted Lilypool behind. The prophecy of StarClan was a trivial matter, now. Sunblaze had a new goal, and he was going to reach it. The she-cat with fur as black as night would be his.

"Night." Sunblaze meowed to himself as he left the camp. "No, this can't be what the prophecy's about. Blood and pain and death, Firestar said. This isn't that. This is love."

But no matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, Sunblaze couldn't quite forget the lines of the prophecy. Could this really be the beginning of the end?


	11. Chapter 10

Nightheart padded along the edge of the stream bordering WindClan territory. She had been doing this more and more as she thought of Sunblaze. She wondered if WindClan would ever accept her.

"Of course they wouldn't. Falconstar's just as bad as Pitchstar." Nightheart said aloud, trying to convince herself to give it up. "Anyways, I'm ShadowClan. I should be proud of it."

It didn't work, as Nightheart had expected. She thought once more of Darkheart, her sister of another Clan. She must at least suspect her heritage. Did she hear the pine forest calling to her as Nightheart heard the summons of the moors? Nightheart looked across the stream to the territories of WindClan, once again imagining running, flying across the flat ground.

"Nightheart!" It was Sunblaze's meow. Nightheart dismissed it as wishful thinking. Sunblaze, along with the rest of WindClan, was forever out of her reach. She was imprisoned within these pines of ShadowClan that should have been just as much a home as WindClan's land.

"Nightheart!" There it was again. As the yowl sounded a third time, Nightheart realized she wasn't imagining it. The tom stood on the other side of the stream, his pelt shining like gold in the moonlight.

"Sunblaze?" Nightheart meowed incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He answered eagerly, tensing to leap across the stream.

"No! Don't!" Nightheart quickly said. "Pitchstar already thinks WindClan is trespassing. Don't make things any worse."

Disappointment crossed Sunblaze's face. "Then you come over here."

Nightheart wanted to refuse, to obey the warrior code, but she couldn't resist the temptation of both Sunblaze and the moors. Besides, wasn't she already breaking the code just by existing? What harm could one more infraction do? She leaped across the stream, landing silently on the other side.

"At least I can cross without falling in, unlike you." She teased Sunblaze, extracting a annoyed growl that quickly changed into a purr.

"Well, it's a good thing I did fall in. We'd never have met if I hadn't." Sunblaze meowed cheerfully.

_"But was us meeting a good thing?"_ Nightheart wondered.

Unbeknownst to Nightheart, Sunblaze was thinking exactly the same thing. The words of the prophecy kept echoing around his head, no matter how many times he told himself that this wouldn't do any harm, that this couldn't possibly be what StarClan had meant.

"So, why were you looking for me?" Nightheart asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all." Sunblaze answered, trying not to think of the devastated Lilypool he had left behind. "I just wanted to see you, that's all."

"You brought me on to WindClan territory just to see me?" Nightheart pressed. "There has to be something more."

"I've seen you at the stream before. I thought that maybe you wanted to run here." Sunblaze confessed only part of the truth.

"I do. I always have." Nightheart's green eyes shone in the starlight. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's run!"

She took off across the moors, paws flying across the flat earth. Sunblaze tore after her. She was fast, faster than any ShadowClan cat he'd ever seen.

_"Of course she is,"_ he reminded himself. _"She's got WindClan blood in her."_

While Nightheart was half WindClan, every drop in Sunblaze's veins descended from the cats of the moors. He caught up with the black she-cat quickly, deliberately faking exertion to keep up although he could easily have taken the lead. They ran with no particular direction in mind, but for the sheer enjoyment of their paws pounding against the hard ground, the brush of the wind through their fur, and the freedom of being unseen, the freedom of being who they really were.

Of course, Sunblaze and Nightheart only thought they were unseen. However, two cats crouched, hidden in the sparse bushes. One was brown with patches of white and fierce amber eyes. The other was jet black with malevolent green eyes. Falconstar and Pitchstar hissed in unison.

"This cannot go on. Tigerstar spoke of this. We have to get them out of the way." Pitchstar meowed softly. "I can take care of Nightheart. You must... eliminate Sunblaze."

Falconstar seemed displeased with this news, and was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Very well. Sunblaze will be involved in an accident before the next Gathering."

"As will Nightheart." Pitchstar answered. "Do not fail me, Falconstar. If you let that cat live, we will never rule the forest."

"And what of Snowstar?" Falconstar said. "Surely we won't share our reign with that hare-brain?"

"Of course not. As soon as we take over, I will get rid of her, no matter how many times I have to kill her. This time, things will be different. StarClan can't stop me." Pitchstar emerged from the bush, padding back towards the forests of ShadowClan. "Come tell me when Sunblaze is dead. I promise you that Nightheart will not live to see the next half-moon."

A/N: Sorry that this chapter's short. I'll try to make up for it next chapter.


End file.
